Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30444
Title: The influence of mobility strategy on the modern human talus
Contributor(s): Sorrentino, Rita (author); Stephens, Nicholas B (author); Carlson, Kristian J (author); Figus, Carla (author); Fiorenza, Luca  (author); Frost, Stephen (author); Harcourt-Smith, William (author); Parr, William (author); Saers, Jaap (author); Turley, Kevin (author); Wroe, Stephen  (author)orcid ; Belcastro, Maria G (author); Ryan, Timothy M (author); Benazzi, Stefano (author)
Publication Date: 2020-03
Early Online Version: 2019-12-11
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23976
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30444
Abstract: Objectives: The primate talus is known to have a shape that varies according to differences in locomotion and substrate use. While the modern human talus is morphologically specialized for bipedal walking, relatively little is known on how its morphology varies in relation to cultural and environmental differences across time. Here we compare tali of modern human populations with different subsistence economies and lifestyles to explore how cultural practices and environmental factors influence external talar shape.
Materials and Methods: The sample consists of digital models of 142 tali from 11 archaeological and post‐industrial modern human groups. Talar morphology was investigated through 3D (semi)landmark based geometric morphometric methods.
Results: Our results show distinct differences between highly mobile hunter‐gatherers and more sedentary groups belonging to a mixed post‐agricultural/industrial background. Hunter‐gatherers exhibit a more “flexible” talar shape, everted posture, and a more robust and medially oriented talar neck/head, which we interpret as reflecting long‐distance walking strictly performed barefoot, or wearing minimalistic footwear, along uneven ground. The talus of the post‐industrial population exhibits a “stable” profile, neutral posture, and a less robust and orthogonally oriented talar neck/head, which we interpret as a consequence of sedentary lifestyle and use of stiff footwear.
Discussion: We suggest that talar morphological variation is related to the adoption of constraining footwear in post‐industrial society, which reduces ankle range of motion. This contrasts with hunter‐gatherers, where talar shape shows a more flexible profile, likely resulting from a lack of footwear while traversing uneven terrain. We conclude that modern human tali vary with differences in locomotor and cultural behavior.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 171(3), p. 456-469
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Place of Publication: United States of America
ISSN: 1096-8644
0002-9483
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 040308 Palaeontology (incl. Palynology)
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 370506 Palaeontology (incl. palynology)
310999 Zoology not elsewhere classified
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

Files in This Item:
1 files
File SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

22
checked on Mar 16, 2024

Page view(s)

1,050
checked on Mar 7, 2023

Download(s)

4
checked on Mar 7, 2023
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.